MELAKA:The spirit of gotong-royong - the concept of mutual participation of local communities - will be revived by the state government, says Datuk Rais Yasin.
The state Housing, Local Government, Climate Change and Disaster Management Committee chairman said the concept that embodies togetherness and social harmony would be implemented soon and turned into a key performance index (KPI) for all four local authorities in the state as well as local councillors.
"Gotong-royong will be carried out on a fortnightly basis in every nook and corner of the state and this will be part of the KPI for the stakeholders," he said after meeting with Melaka Historic City Council (MBMB) employees at the council’s office in Ayer Keroh on Friday (April 7) to deliver his aspiration after assuming the portfolio on Wednesday (April 5).
Rais said the tradition of gotong-royong was no longer visible in the state and he wants to drive the concept to the next level by making it compulsory for the stakeholders to organise it in their respective jurisdictions.
He said gotong-royong builds a sense of shared responsibility and helps find solutions in addressing issues at the grassroots.
"Bringing back this gotong-royong spirit is my goal," he said.
Separately, Rais said the state government was restudying a number of shelved flood mitigation projects in a bid to address floods.
He said a meeting would be held with Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming after Hari Raya to discuss reviving the shelved projects.
"We will look into finding a solution to address the concerns in flood prone areas," he added.
